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By RYAN MAVITY
Who doesn’t like Vikings? I mean, they were known to pillage and steal, they wore cool helmets and furs and beards and had names like Erik the Red. Next to being named Mack Strong or Jack Slaughter, how awesome is it to have “the” in your name?
It may be 1000 years too late, but Vikings finally have their own heavy metal genre. Actually, the subgenre of Viking metal started in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s and gained more and more of a following over the years. This subgenre is distinguishable by several factors. First, the band is from Scandinavia. It is the home of the Vikings, after all. In addition, the band must include one orchestral instrumental, have lyrics about conquering Norsemen, have some sort of choir-like part and play a fast-paced version of power metal.
Victory Songs (it just sounds Viking when you think about it), the new album from Finnish metal band Ensiferum, does all that and then some. The opening instrumental, “Ad Victorium,” sounds like it could have come straight off the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack. From there, the band kicks in with its blend of bombastic folk power metal. Yes, it’s as out there as that description. Song titles have names like “Blood is the Price of Glory,” “Deathbringer from the Sky” and “Raised by the Sword.” All that’s missing is “Skol, Viking.”
Much like another Viking metal band I’ve reviewed, Turisas, the music is completely absurd and over-the-top. Ensiferum includes orchestras, bagpipes and kantele into their sound. They throw everything but their horned helmets at the listener. Vocalist Petri Lindroos brings a different style than is common for power metal. He’s more like the high-pitched growl of Dimmu Borgir’s Shadrach than Bruce Dickinson. Still, his lyrics are all about battle and sailing the seas, such as on “One More Magic Potion.”
I guess if I was to pick, I probably liked the Turisas album just slightly better, but it’s damn close. The songs run a little long, particularly “Wanderer,” but really, the length of songs is just a part of the album’s overall excess. I will say, one thing I like about this style is that it’s so goofy and fun, but I’ts still heavy. And like I said, who doesn’t love Vikings? |
